Looking for Work? Branch Out

Looking for Work? Branch Out and Try New Things

Throughout the United States, communities everywhere are seeing higher unemployment rates, fewer employment opportunities and what can only be described as a bleak overall career outlook. Until now, people who train for careers in most fields have focused on a narrow area of specialization. Honing in on specific areas and narrowly focusing on particular areas in today's economy may not be the wisest choice for people who are looking for all types of employment, not to mention, those who are trying to open doors to long-term career paths.

Begin with Your Training

One way that you can broaden your career focus is by starting with your education and/or training. When training in something related to computers, for example, consider learning about all operating systems instead of focusing on Windows alone. Learn about all of the various computer languages, and every platform on which web pages might be designed.

The same is true of computer repair work. By learning to work on all different types of computers, including laptops, desktops, tablets, and the different systems that computers are built on, when you are looking to explore, or expand your potential career opportunities in the computer world, you may just avail yourself to more potential job opportunities.

Another field where broadening focus may mean the difference between getting hired, or keeping an existing job is teaching. Instead of focusing on a very narrow area that is likely to get cut if financing forces school districts to evaluate the way they use their budget, broaden the scope of your training. Instead of getting certified in one area alone, consider getting certified to teach in all grades - even though that may not be what you really want.

Train to teach multiple different required subjects rather than those that are deemed less necessary, and most of all, think about adding language skills to your resume. Those who are able to work with students who speak other languages, particularly Spanish, may find that there are more job opportunities, and more long term opportunities as well.

Be Realistic About Your Goals

If you are among the many young people who are finding it hard to find jobs, let alone enter into any career path following college, you aren't alone. You may have gone into college thinking you knew exactly what you wanted to do, so you proceeded with your degree program with that vision in mind. As competition heats up in the working world, and as companies everywhere look for ways to get the most for their money, they may no longer be able to hire people who have narrowly-focused training or education. Instead, they may be looking for people who have the ability to work in multiple different capacities. In essence, they are looking to hire one person to do what several people might have done in the past.

No one is exempt from the sort of working world where companies are looking for that one person who is willing to branch out, explore different areas, and take on more responsibility. Even if you've been in a career for many years, you can solidify your job security and increase the possibility of advancement by broadening the focus of your career, and adding new, but related skills and knowledge to your work experience and resume.